Kanwar Lake

About Kanwar Lake:

• It is Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake and Bihar’s only Ramsar site.
• It is also known as Kabartal jheel.
• It is a residual oxbow lake, formed due to the meandering of Gandak river, a tributary of Ganga. 
• It is covering the majority of the Indo-Gangetic plains in northern Bihar,
• The Wetland is an important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway, with 58 migratory waterbirds using it to rest and refuel.
• It is also a valuable site for fish biodiversity with over 50 species documented.
• Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures – the red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) – and two waterbirds, the sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri).
• Threats: Major threats to the site include water management activities such as drainage, water abstraction, damming and canalization.

What is the Ramsar Convention?

• This convention was signed on 2nd February 1971 to preserve the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance.
• It is named after Ramsar, the Iranian city where the treaty was signed in 1971, and places chosen for conservation under it are given the tag ‘Ramsar site’.
• At present there are total 75 Ramsar site India.